Spider-Man: No Way Home has officially passed 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and earned the second-highest box office for a domestic opening weekend ever.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, No Way Home earned $260 million at 4,336 theaters domestically this weekend. Overseas, No Way Home earned $340.8 million, which brings the film's total take up to $600.8 million. Without taking into account inflation, that means No Way Home also had the third-biggest global opening ever -- and that's despite the movie having not yet released in China, which is one of the biggest markets in the world, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking about these box office numbers, Sony Motion Picture Group chair-CEO Tom Rothman said, "This weekend's historic results, from all over the world and in the face of many challenges, reaffirm the unmatched cultural impact that exclusive theatrical films can have when they are made and marketed with vision and resolve."
The top domestic opening of all times remains another Marvel Studios film: 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Over its opening weekend, that team-up movie earned $357 million domestically. Endgame later went on to become the highest-grossing film ever, making $2.798 billion. Following No Way Home's success, Infinity War slides back to the third place slot with $257.6 million domestically. Behind it are 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens at $248 million, 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi at $220 million and 2015's Jurassic World at $20.8 million.
No Way Home's success at the box office should come as no surprise. No Way Home earned the second-highest number of ticket pre-sales in U.S. history, coming right behind only Endgame. The movie then took in an impressive $50 million in Thursday previews, again coming in only slightly behind Endgame. Additionally, No Way Home has met with incredibly strong reviews. At the time of writing, No Way Home holds a 94 percent critical score and a 99 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. That critical score makes No Way Home the second-highest rated MCU film, as it comes in just behind 2018's Black Panther, which holds a 96 percent.
Set after the events of 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, No Way Home sees Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) enlisting the help of Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to re-hide his identity after it was revealed by Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). However, in the process, he ends up having to fight a number of villains from the Sam Raimi and Amazing Spider-Man series.
Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter